Rioters Loot Stores in Germany As Gen Z Protests Turn Violent

Masked rioters looted stores in Frankfurt and hurled petrol bombs at police on Saturday night after tens of thousands joined demonstrations across Germany over living costs, education and military service.

Police deployed water cannons and pepper spray in the financial hub as attackers threw stones and fireworks.

A gun store was among the businesses looted; police said they arrested a suspect and recovered two weapons.

At least two stores were looted and several others damaged, according to a Reuters witness. Bild reported that a sneaker shop and a perfume store were also targeted.

“Windows have been smashed at several shops. Molotov cocktails are also being thrown at emergency personnel,” Frankfurt police said.

Clash Report

Authorities blocked access to a large section of the city’s main shopping street.

An AFP journalist reported riot police and vans at the cordon, with a helicopter overhead and intermittent explosions audible nearby.

At least one officer in Frankfurt was injured and received medical treatment.

Peaceful Rallies Precede Unrest

The daytime demonstrations, organized by the campaign group GenZ regelt!, were largely peaceful.

Protests took place in 34 cities, including Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt, coinciding with Halloween celebrations.

Organizers put nationwide participation at about 120,000, below their forecast of roughly 180,000.

Police figures for Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin totaled up to 18,000; those counts did not cover the full national turnout.

Violence also broke out elsewhere. Police used water cannons in Hamburg and Cologne after reporting attacks on emergency workers with fireworks, stones and bottles.

Barricades were set alight in Hamburg.

In Berlin, officers reported being hit with eggs and bottles during a separate evening protest that was not organized by GenZ regelt!.

An officer in Bonn sustained minor injuries in a confrontation.

Organizers Reject Violence

Roman Poseck, Hesse’s interior minister, said around 100 people he identified as left-wing extremists had infiltrated the Frankfurt demonstration.

The federal interior ministry had warned that extremist groups were helping mobilize support.

GenZ regelt! explicitly disavowed violence and said extremist organizations had no place in its campaign.

“Extremist groups, anti-constitutional symbols, racism and hate speech have no place with us, no matter from which side,” the movement said.

Some businesses had boarded up storefronts or planned to close early before the rallies, including on Berlin’s luxury Kurfuerstendamm shopping boulevard.

Costs and Military Service Drive Demands

The campaign is demanding more spending on schools and public services, relief from high living costs and a fairer allocation of financial burdens between generations.

It also opposes compulsory military service. Protesters fear a new voluntary recruitment model, introduced alongside sharply higher military spending, could lead to conscription.

“What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems,” campaign spokesperson Lina Friedrich said in Berlin.

The protests follow youth-led mobilizations elsewhere in Europe, including France, where demonstrations clashed again on Saturday.

The German campaign’s claim to represent young people has also faced questions because of the range of political and civil society groups involved.

BSK, the national umbrella organization for school students, has distanced itself and plans separate protests on November 20.